Galatians 3:26-27
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
The Potential for Christ-likeness
We are commanded to have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), and this means we should crucify or kill our fleshly desires and passions (Gal 5:24) and live by the Spirit of God (Gal 5:25). That’s very easy to say but very hard to do. The fruits of the Spirit are the potential that every Christian has within them, and that is exude love, peace, joy, kindness, faithfulness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23), which means we have to subdue the old man or woman in us. Our potential as the children of God is to live like God’s children in obedience and submission to Him and to have the attitude of serving one another.
The Children of God
If we are born again, or literally born from above (John 3:3), then we are God’s children. Typically, children turn out to be like their father, so we ought to live as the children of light (Eph 5:8). As children of the light, our works should be shining forth God-like attributes like goodness, righteousness, and truth (Eph 5:9). These are fruits born of the Holy Spirit. This means that there shouldn’t be even a hint of sinful activity, especially sexual immorality, because these do not represent proper behavior for the children of God (Eph 5:3) and will destroy or at least dampen our spiritual potential.
A Living, Breathing Sacrifice
Paul writes to the Roman church that they are to have a renewing of their mind (Rom 12:2). This is more than just changing your mind because the Greek word Paul uses for renewing is “anakainōsis,” and it means a “complete renovation” because it is a transformed mind “(Greek “metamorphoō”), which is very much like a cocoon changing into another form like the butterfly. In this same way, the Christian mind reaches a new potential because a metamorphosis has occurred, which changes our way of thinking and transfigures the very mind of Christ. This is the only way we can reach our spiritual potential in this life. We must make ourselves a living, breathing sacrifice. But my problem is that my sacrifice–that is, me–keeps crawling off the altar. With a transformed, regenerated mind, we can be conformed into the very image of Christ and live a holy, acceptable life before God (Rom 12:1), thereby reaching our spiritual potential.
A Closing Prayer
Righteous God in heaven, You alone can empower me to reach my spiritual potential, but I must learn to yield to Your Spirit so that I can live a holy life of obedience that is pleasing to You and which proves that I have the mind of Christ. Only then can I reach my spiritual potential that will glorify you, and for this I pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen
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